My novel Popular has been reviewed by British novelist Katy Moran, the author of Dangerous to Know and the medieval thriller series Bloodline, Bloodline Rising and Spirit Hunter. The full review is on my Popular blog, but here are some highlights: -
"Meredith Harper rules Mount Olivet Grammar School in Belfast with beauty, charm and despotic power, aided by a small tribe of It-girls all equally as beautiful (well nearly) and just as bitchy... It’s an extremely funny book – I laughed a lot and kept reading bits out loud to people, which must have been very annoying but I couldn’t help myself.
Popular has the convincing weight of authenticity – at first, I thought Meredith’s friend Kerry was a caricature, but a few chapters in I started to suspect that the author knows someone exactly like her, so I just went along for the ride. Russell does mercilessly laugh at his characters quite a bit, but he chooses his targets carefully. There’s nothing funny about Meredith Harper. There are serious issues, too, which I won’t go into lest I spoil the plot for you. It’s all very well dealt with, though: nothing is clear cut or black and white, just like life... There’s more to come in this series and I’ll definitely be looking out for the next serving of evil glamour."Popular by Gareth Russell is released in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland on July 7th, South Africa on August 1st, Canada on August 23rd and Australia and New Zealand on August 29th.
Bravo!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! I'll have to get a copy shipped to the US.:)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, this must be very exciting for you!
ReplyDeleteThe more I read from your blogs, the more interesting you become. Your posts here are thoughtful, insightful, and focus on important (and often sad) moments in history (I refer mainly to your various Tudor, Romanov, and French Revolution posts). Your posts over at "Popular," however, show a completely different side of you. The Gareth that posts here doesn't seem like the type for alcohol-fueled debauchery, though I completely buy the 18th-century party wardrobe. ;P
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely getting excited for this book to come out. It sounds like a lot of fun. Any news on a US release date, or will I have to do like Anne Marie and have it shipped here?
Thanks, Robyn! That's a really fun thing to say. And very kind. (I think? Haha.)
ReplyDeleteWe should have some news on an American release date in a few months, hopefully! But, at the moment you can order it through Amazon Canada.